It was June 2020 when Tiktok, the short video giant, was banned from India including other 50+ Chinese apps. Indian officials cited security and privacy reasons behind banning Chinese apps. But, the main reason was the border tussle between China and India.
During its operations in India, Tiktok created a huge fan base and all those Tiktok users were heartbroken after hearing the news of the Chinese app ban. But, it was a great opportunity for Indian firms and developers to bring similar Made in India app that can fill the wide gap created by Tiktok.
As expected, a flood of short video apps launched in India but few of them established themselves as a replacement to Tiktok. With their unique features and AI-based recommendations, these apps became popular in no time.
Let’s have a look at the top 5 short video apps that grew exponentially after Tiktok exit from India.
1. MX Takatak
In a recently released app analytics report by Sensor Tower, MX Takatak became the most downloaded non-gaming Indian app globally in Q1 of 2021. The app is owned by MX Player that is the property of Times Internet.
Overall, it recorded 175+ million downloads globally. The short video platform has grown exponentially after the exit of Tiktok. As per Sensor Tower data, Takatak was the most downloaded app in Asia during Q1. It left behind the popular platforms Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram to achieve the first rank in Asia.
The app is raving no stone unturned to become a short video giant. As per the internal report, MX Takatak is spending over $5 million to drive downloads and retain users.
As per Entrackr report, MX Player is in advanced talks with existing investors to raise $100 million that will be used for expanding MX Takatak operations further.
2. Moj
Moj, a subsidiary of ShareChat, has become a known name in short video space after Tiktok exit. In the first quarter of 2021, it recorded over 70+ million downloads, as reported by Sensor Tower. Overall, it has a huge user base of 120+ million subscribers. That makes it the second most popular short video app in India.
ShareChat, the parent firm of Moj, is supported by big investors including Twitter, Tiger Global, Snap and raised $502 million from them to reach a valuation of $2.1 billion.
In August 2020, Moj attracted 50+ million users in a month after its launch. That prompted investors to invest $40 million in ShareChat.
3. Josh
VerSe Innovation is completely focused on the operations of its short video platform Josh. The app has not disappointed the parent firm and has become one of the popular short video platforms in India. During Q1, 2021, the app was downloaded over a 61+million times to become the third most popular app globally.
The app is supported by Microsoft, Google, Falcon Edge, Qatar Investment Authority, etc. In a recent round, VerSe raised $100 million in Feb 2021. In December also, it raised $100 million to become the first Indian tech unicorn of local languages.
VerSe Innovation will invest the current funding in Josh’s AI advancement and will offer Josh in more local languages.
4. Roposo
Due to its aggressive marketing strategies, Roposo has established itself as a growing short video platform. It was founded in 2012 and was popular as “TV by the People”. Glance, a subsidiary of InMobi, acquired the app in 2019 with an amount of $20 million.
Glance raised $145 million in December 2020 for the growth of Roposo. Before the acquisition, Roposo raised $32.7 million in different funding rounds led by Tiger Global. On Play Store, it has 100+ million downloads with an average rating of 4.1 by over 1 million users.
5. Chingari
Chingari is one of those social media apps that got immense success due to anti-China sentiments among Indians. The app is popular with the tagline, ” Bharat ka Naya entertainment destination”.
Though the app was launched in November 2018 on Play Store. But after the Tiktok ban, it was rebranded and relaunched in June 2020. Within 10 days in September 2020, it was downloaded 5.5+ lakhs time. Within 3 months, it recorded 30+ million downloads. And further, I/ became the first app to get 50+ million downloads in 6 months of its relaunch.
In the last funding round of February 2021, it raised $13 million led by Onmobile. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has also joined the short video platform as an investor and a brand ambassador.
Tiktok tried hard to relaunch in India. But, in January 2021, the Indian IT Ministry confirmed that the ban will continue on the earlier banned Chinese apps. That forced Tiktok to fire all employees in India. This news brought more happiness for the Indian short video platforms.
